Hanukkah has its own songs, and a few pieces of classical music fit beside them. This page lists five songs that families sing, six pieces to hear, and a plan with one piece for each of the eight nights.
It is written for families who keep Hanukkah and for families and teachers who want to learn about it.
Hanukkah in a few lines
Hanukkah is a Jewish festival that lasts eight nights. It recalls a time more than two thousand years ago, when a small Jewish army led by Judah Maccabee won back the Temple in Jerusalem. The story tells that one day’s worth of oil burned in the Temple lamp for eight days.
Each night, families light one more candle on a nine-branched lamp, sing, play a game with a spinning top called a dreidel, and eat foods fried in oil.
The date moves each year, since it follows the Hebrew calendar. Hanukkah falls in late November or in December.
Five songs families sing
“Ma’oz Tzur” (Rock of Ages). A hymn sung after the candles are lit. The words are about 800 years old, and the tune is an old German melody.
“I Have a Little Dreidel.” The best-known Hanukkah song in English. It dates from the 1920s, with words by Samuel Grossman and music by Samuel Goldfarb.
“Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah.” A lively song that began in Yiddish, the language of Jewish families in Eastern Europe.
“Sevivon.” A Hebrew song about the dreidel. “Sevivon” is the Hebrew word for a spinning top.
“Ocho Kandelikas” (Eight Little Candles). A song by Flory Jagoda in Ladino, the language of Jewish families who once lived in Spain. It counts the candles from one to eight.
Six pieces to hear
“See, the Conqu’ring Hero Comes,” by Handel. Handel wrote a long work for singers and orchestra called Judas Maccabaeus, which tells the story of Judah Maccabee. This chorus is its best-known tune. Read Handel for kids.
Twelve Variations on “See, the Conqu’ring Hero Comes,” by Beethoven. Beethoven took Handel’s tune and changed it twelve ways for cello and piano. Read musical form for kids.
Overture on Hebrew Themes, by Prokofiev. A short piece for clarinet, string quartet, and piano. The clarinet plays in the style of klezmer, the dance music of Jewish weddings in Eastern Europe. Read Prokofiev for kids.
A klezmer dance tune. Search for a klezmer band playing a freylekhs, which is a happy circle dance. Listen for the clarinet, which slides between the notes. Read the clarinet for kids.
“Nigun,” from Baal Shem, by Ernest Bloch. A slow, singing piece for violin. A nigun is a tune sung without words.
Chichester Psalms, second movement, by Bernstein. A choir sings in Hebrew. A boy’s voice opens the movement with a gentle tune over a harp. Read Bernstein for kids.
The last three are not Hanukkah pieces. They are concert music that grew from Jewish song and prayer.
A plan for the eight nights
| Night | Sing | Hear |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | “Ma’oz Tzur” | “See, the Conqu’ring Hero Comes,” by Handel |
| 2 | “I Have a Little Dreidel” | A klezmer dance tune |
| 3 | “Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah” | Overture on Hebrew Themes, by Prokofiev |
| 4 | “Sevivon” | Beethoven’s variations on Handel’s tune |
| 5 | “Ocho Kandelikas” | “Nigun,” by Bloch |
| 6 | Your family’s favorite | Chichester Psalms, second movement, by Bernstein |
| 7 | A song from a grandparent | A second klezmer tune, faster than the first |
| 8 | All of them | Handel again, with everyone marching |
One song and one piece take about ten minutes.
Things to do together
Spin and freeze. Play a klezmer tune and spin a dreidel. When the dreidel falls, everyone freezes until the next spin.
Count the candles. Sing “Ocho Kandelikas” and hold up one more finger for each candle.
Same tune, two ways. Play Handel’s chorus and then the first minute of Beethoven’s variations. Ask what Beethoven kept and what he changed.
Find the clarinet. In the Prokofiev, raise a hand each time the clarinet has the tune.
Faster and faster. Klezmer dances often speed up. Clap along, and try to stay with the band.
March for the hero. March around the room to Handel’s chorus. Ask your child what in the music sounds like a parade.
Words to know
- Menorah or hanukkiah: the lamp with nine branches
- Dreidel: a four-sided spinning top
- Klezmer: Jewish dance music from Eastern Europe
- Nigun: a tune sung without words
- Oratorio: a long work for singers and orchestra that tells a story with no costumes or acting
For a classroom
- Teach “I Have a Little Dreidel” and one song in Hebrew or Ladino.
- Invite a family to share a song they sing at home.
- Play the Handel chorus, and tell the story it comes from.
- Pair this page with other winter music. Read winter classical music for kids and Christmas classical music for kids.
Print and play
Use a listening journal page for each night’s piece. Make a card for the Prokofiev with the listening bingo maker. For more music by season, read how to introduce kids to classical music.
More from this guide
This article is part of How to introduce kids to classical music.
Bernstein's Young People's Concerts: how to watch with kids
A parent's guide to Leonard Bernstein's Young People's Concerts: what they are, which episodes to start with, where to find them, and how to watch.
Best classical music for kids: 25 pieces to know
Twenty-five classical pieces for kids to know, sorted into short and fun, stories, big tunes, dances, and calm, with one thing to listen for in each.
Black History Month music for kids: a four-week listening plan
A four-week Black History Month listening plan for kids: twelve Black composers, one piece each, with what to listen for and something to do.
Calm classical music for kids at bedtime: 8 pieces to play and how to use them
Eight calm classical pieces for a kids' bedtime routine, with what each one sounds like, which pieces to skip, and how to set volume and order.
Christmas carols for kids: the stories behind 10 carols
Where ten Christmas carols came from, told for kids: Silent Night, Jingle Bells, Joy to the World, Carol of the Bells, and six more, with things to listen for.
Christmas classical music for kids: 12 pieces to play in December
Twelve pieces of Christmas and winter classical music for kids, with one thing to listen for in each and a plan to play one piece a day in December.
Use it with your kids
Print a listening page, a practice chart, or a composer fact sheet. Or try a tool, such as the composer timeline or the piece picker.